CHENNAI:
TVS Motor Company, on Monday, launched a new 150cc vehicle named Apache. The ex-show room price of Apache in Chennai will be Rs. 52,498. Apache will be positioned to woo youth, who are looking out for a bike that is aggressive and sporty with class leading performance.

Apache will sport wide tyres in black alloy wheels of 17-inch in the front and 18-inch at the rear to facilitate greater road grip.

Apache will jostle for a space on the Indian roads along with Bajaj Pulsar and Honda's Unicorn in the premium segment.

Addressing a press conference, Venu Srinivasan, Chairman and Managing Director, said Apache represented not just the spirit of youth but also the "new spirit of TVS Motor.'' By launching Apache, Mr. Srinivasan said, TVS had made not just a point in terms of normal parameters of a vehicle but also a statement in terms of emotional parameters.

Mr. Venu Srinivasan said that Apache would be available in the market in a month's time. The national rollout would be completed latest by early February, he added.

TVS Motor was aiming at selling 20,000-25,000 units of Apache a month in three to four months.

To a question, he said the company had invested around Rs. 15 crore on Apache development. "All facilities are common. We have to spend only on tooling and research and development,'' he pointed out. The vehicle was completely developed in-house, Mr. Srinivasan said.Asked about the ad spend for marketing Apache, he said, "it will be a substantial launch."

Company officials indicated that TVS Motors would come out with Apache variants at appropriate time. They also claimed that Apache would give 60 km per litre on normal conditions. They, however, explained that the focus was on `driving pleasure' that Apache could give a rider.

The CMD said the company would continue to sell Fiero as it elicited demand in some pockets. Currently, TVS Motor was selling around 2,000 units of Fiero a month. The company would look at the export option for Apache bike also.